The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-04-13
AT THE CAPITAL.
A short Week and Little Business-Tho
Mining school-Seversi Important Rail-
road Measures-O Other Matters or Cen
eral Interest.

Mining School--severai Important Rail-
road Measures-O Other Matters or Cen
eral Interest.
LANSING, April A, 1887.
The early adjournment OF the two
Houses ION Wednesday evening of last
week., in accordance with a previously
adopted concurrent resolution. made the
week so short that only a comparatively
small amount of work could have been
done under any circumstances, and the
fact that quite a large number of the
members of both houses either hold
township Office of one kind or another. or
want to be elected TO one, or else have rela-
tives who want their help in electioneering,
has called away 80 many members that the
great law making body has been grinding
along most of the time for the past ten
days with net many more present than
enough to make up decent working ma
jority.
AS consequence of so much absentee
ism, oil business of any great importance
has been put off, informally passed or laid
on the table. to be taken up after the close
OF the election recess.
THE MINING SCHOOL.
Petitions bearing hundreds of names are
being received daily, asking for the passage
OF the bill TO appropriate 800, 900 for the
building OF the necessary buildings for the
mining school at Houghton and for the
$4,000 for the support of the school for
1886 and 1857, and there is no reason to
doubt the early passage of both bills.
Considering the vast mining interests of the
Upper Peninsula, and the effect they have
had and must continue to have on the
wealth and resources Of Michigan, that
Al l.. n "a. Il.
in the way of State institutions, and it
seems only justice that this school should
be speedily put in the way of becoming
one of the best, or the best mining school
in The United States.
RAILROAD LEGISLATION
occupied somewhat the attention Of the
two houses last week, the Senate having
passed two good and much needed bills
The first is to so amend the law of two
years ago that instead of being limited to
the list of seven automatic car couplers (as
selected by the commission designated M
the bill originally requiring the use on all
freight cars OF automatic coupler5), the
companies shall be at liberty to select from
outside or inside the list. This was done
from the fact that one or two of the best
and most inexpensive were rejected for
some trihing and seeming objection, par
ticularly one invented by Mr.. Joseph A.
Richard, of st. Louis, Mich, which was
rejected in making up the list because the
link is an inch or two longer than they
thought 1t should be, an objection that in
reality has no foundation, as the coupler
works under all circumstances and with
any and all cars of different roads. The
other bill was one that has been called for
very loudly by the recent terrible railroad
accidents that have been followed by even
greater loss of life by the disabled trains
taking fire from the car stoves. The bill
provides that car stoves of all names and
kinds unless encased in solid room of
boiler from must go" like the Chinese.
AS introduced and printed, it pro-
vides that this must take effect by
November /, 1888, but at the solicitation of
railroad representatives. the bill has been
| amended so as to extend the time 10 Feb
ruary / 1889, but the Senate restored the
original date and then passed the bill. The
third measure affecting railroads was one
to allow township in Glare County to vote
bonds for making public improvements"
but which was in reality intended as q bo-
nus to railroad (the Toledo. Ann Arbor
and Northern which the House argued
over for a half day and then decapitated,
refusing later to even reconsider the vote
by which the bill had been slaughtered.
Some wears ago the Supreme Court de-
clared the act of 1871, that allowed town.
ships, cities or villages to bond themselves
in aid of railroads, an unconstitutional one,
and since that time this other plan Of styl-
ing IL public improvements has been
adopted. and many localities have con-
tinued to bond, but this act on the part Of
the House indicates a disposition to stop
allowing localities TO bond for public i'm
provements" where it is known that the OBJ
ject is to aid in railioad building.
FOR MRS. ROBERTSON.
The Governor has promptly approved
the bill whereby Mrs. Robertson will draw
the $4,000 that would have been drawn by
her husband had he lived and served ont
his term as Adjutant General. This will
be welcome gift to an aged and poor
woman from State that General John
Robertson served for over twenty six years
at only 81 900 per year.
| AN HONEST VOTE.
The following little bill is good one,
and will pass both houses without doubt:
bill to protect electors who can not
read. from fraud and deception at the
polls.
SECTION /. The people of the State OF
Michigan enact, that any person who shall
furnish an elector who cannot read with a
ticket informing him that 1t contains a
name or names different from those which
are written or printed thereon, with an in
tent to induce him to vote contrary TO his
inclinatons, or who shall fraudulently OF
deceitfully change ballot of any electoi
by which such elector shall be prevented
from voting for such candidate or candi-
dates as he intended, she'll be deemed
guilty of misdemeanor, and upon convic-
ton thereof be fined sum not exceeding
one hundred dollars, or Imprisonment III
the county Jail not exceeding ninety days,
or both fine and Imprisonment in the dis
cretion of the court.
AFTER THE RECESS.
After the 9th, when the election recess is
over business is expected to move much
more rapidly than at any time during the
session OBSERVER